Hinata Ema : birthday is October 8th, sixteen years old, 155 cm tall, second-year high school student, and professional gaming nerd.
Hinata Hanako : birthday is May 6th, twenty-one years old, 164 cm tall, full-time overprotective big sister, worrywart, and third-year university student.
Hanako shoots up, her previous drowsiness long-forgotten when she notices just how close the startling sound came from.
Next to her, Ema's hands support her weight on the low table in front of them, breath coming out in sharp, shallow pants. "Ema?" there's no faking the fear in the woman's voice as she drops to the ground on her knees to hold her sister's shoulder and get a good look at her face, "Ema, sweetie, can you hear me alright?"
"I'm fine Hana-nee...just dizzy," Hanako quickly tells Ukyo that they'll be taking him up on that offer to go to their room when it becomes apparent Ema is feeling unwell, alarmingly so if her pale face and the drips of sweat rolling down her hairline are anything to go by.
Still, the teenage girl shakes her head, mumbling out something along the lines of, "Oh no there's no need, I'm fi..." the rosy-cheeked brunette trails off, struck by sudden pain, the space between her brows crinkling as her head throbs.
Masaomi circles the table to crouch on Ema's other side, reaching out to rest his hand on her forehead, "You're burning up."
"Can you try to stand?" Hanako carefully helps the girl up, throwing Ema's arm over her own shoulders and holding the teen around her waist to help her do so, Masaomi does the same on Ema's other side, supporting most of the girl's weight easily.
Hanako feels dread pooling in her stomach when Ema visibly slouches in her and Masaomi's hold. Features straightening, the older girl softly mutters, "That's it, like that, there's no hurry."
Once the stairs are conquered, the rest of the way to Ema's room is more easily done, with an exhausted Ema mumbling that it's not necessary. "I'll go get some medicine and a cold compress," Masaomi says once the shivering girl is tucked in her freshly washed covers, "Do you have any known allergies to anything?"
Ema shakes her head, eyes fluttering shut, "Thank you, and I'm so sorry for the trouble."
"Don't be, there's no need to apologize," he flashes the two a smile, one that is slightly sad at Ema's words, leaving the two alone for a brief moment.
Hanako sits on the ground next to her sister's bed, the fluffy pink rug silky beneath her as she crosses her arms over the mattress and rests her head over them, "Oh baby, why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling well?"
"She's right Chii!" Juli scolds from his place on Ema's bed, close to the edge of it, "You have to warn us when things like that happen. How are we supposed to take care of you if you don't talk to us?"
"It was very sudden," Ema sheepishly says, laying on her side and peering at her sister. Thankful that the throbbing pain has slowly faded to a dull ache that is much more manageable, "I didn't feel bad until we were sitting, and it was just a light headache so I didn't think I should bother you with it...sorry."
"It's fine," Hanako sighs, gently brushing out of her the pieces of hair that had fallen out of the girl's ponytail and stuck to her sweaty forehead, before getting up to go through some boxes of Ema's with the word clothes written on them, "You should change, that uniform can't be comfortable to sleep in. Juli go guard the door and warn us if Masaomi-san comes back."
She helps the girl slip into some thin cotton pajamas, undoing the hair tie out of Ema's hair so it falls on her shoulders, "Doesn't that feel good? You know that tying it too tightly gives headaches."
"I feel better already," Ema crawls back beneath the covers, content with letting her sister pass her fingers through the hair, nails softly rubbing against her sister's scalp, lingering with light pressure over her temples. The youngest Hinata sighs at the pleasant, soothing sensation, "That feels good."
That's when Masaomi once again enters the room, along with Kaname and Ukyo, "I see you've made yourself comfortable, that's good." He hands the sickly pale girl a glass of water as well as some medicine for flu symptoms, putting a cold compress on her forehead once she lays back down after having swallowed the medicine.
"Thank you," Hanako sends Masaomi an ever-so-grateful smile, adjusting the covers around her sister a bit.
"Thank you for taking care of me, I'm already feeling much better, I really am sorry for worrying all of you," Ema blushes at the three men's staring, her words almost unheard because of how softly she is speaking, honeyed voice just a bit raspy from exhaustion.
"There is no need to feel sorry, after all, that is what big brothers are for," Kaname's tone is teasing, but with an underlying fondness and warmth that has something like butterfly wings fluttering within Hanako's chest, big brothers huh?
She can't remember the last time someone had wanted to take care of her besides Ema and Juli. Someone who was willing to go fetch medicine for Ema, who they barely know, to cook something her sister's upset stomach could bear?
"If anything of the sort ever happens to either of you, you can always go to the doctor of the family," Ukyo advises, "And don't hesitate to come to any of us if you need anything, the both of you."
"Thank you, that's very kind," Ema says, eyes dropping against her will as her sister continues to stroke her hair, deft fingers drifting to the sides of her neck that Hanako massages softly.
"That must have been difficult, meeting all of these new brothers..." his hair is light ash brown, his eyes the color of what Hanako would describe as lilacs when the morning sun hits them just so. The unfamiliar man also had a calm and gentle look on his face, unconsciously putting both sisters at ease. His features are soft, she notices, more so than the sharp lines that have become obviously common to Miwa and her sons.
"Louis, I didn't know you were home," the one now known as Louis gives Ukyo a slightly lazy smile, carefree as ever.
"Yeah, I just got here...I heard some voices... and came to see," his voice is somewhat airy, words coming out slow, after all the commotion from today, such a person was definitely welcomed.
"Huh," Juli huffs, eyes narrowed on the new brother, "This one doesn't look all that menacing, but don't be fooled Nana, Chii!"
"He is the brother who was at work earlier. This is the eighth son, Louis," Kaname says, gesturing to his younger brother like one would an animal zoo. Ema laughs a bit, "I'm sorry to have to meet you like this..."
"Don't be sorry Chii-chan... it's not your fault..."
Wait, what did he just call her? eyes the color of plums widen at the nickname and Hanako's lips part in an unspoken question, deciding against it at the last second. Ema barely notices in her hazed state, the drug clouding her mind like thick smoke in a closed room.
"Coming to this new place... with these new people, it must have been hard...you both must be exhausted," Louis ignores easily the wide-eyed Hanako, and Ukyo's exasperated sigh.
"Did...did that pretty boy just call you Chii?" Juli squeaks out, not receiving an answer because of their current company - talking to animals wasn't usually seen with a kind eye, as the two had learned as children. Hanako tenses slightly when his eyes stay on her for too long, eyebrows creasing when he smiles at her serenely.
"Your hair..." his gaze is firmly stuck on the messy bun resting on top of the older sister's head, "You shouldn't style it like that, you'll harm the ends... Next time will you let me rearrange your hair Nana? What about you Chii?"
Hanako is wordless when the boy approaches them, just a step away from where she is sitting on the floor, next to Ema's bed, he leans forward to catch one of the curly strands of hair framing her face between his fingers.
I feel like I should be insulted, she still lets him twirl the piece contemplatively.
"It's such a pretty color too," he says decisively, eyeing the burnt caramel color of too thick hair with appreciation, Hanako blushes up to her roots, "You should take care of it more."
"Don't make it seem like an insult, and back off a bit, you're scaring the daylight out of her. Louis is a wonderful hairdresser, I assure you he meant no harm," Ukyo sighs and gives the girls an apologetic glance when Louis takes a step back to his earlier position next to his brothers, "Louis' usually well behaved, it's the others I can barely take out of the house."
It startles a laugh out of the two, and Hanako covers her lips with her hand to try and muffle the sound. It fails, but the shy, almost demure gesture brings a smile to Ukyo's lips.
"You make us sound like troublesome pets," Kaname says, hiding his surprise at seeing his older brother in such a good mood over the arrival of Rintarou's daughters. The man never had shown any excitement at the news of their mother's remarriage, unlike Wataru or Tsubaki, yet he was clearly pleased with the girls' presence in the household. Kaname's grin curves slightly, "Don't go scaring our new little sisters away now."
Ukyo's eyes are brighter than before when he answers, "Well you said it, not me."
They're so entertaining, Hanako thinks, unable to quiet down the amusement she feels, living with so many people really does make things lively.
"I'll go and start supper, would some rice soup and mackerel be fine with you two?" once again, she's hit with how terribly nice it is for the care which is offered to them.
Ema nods happily, "That would be perfect Ukyo-san, thank you very much!" before the girl can go on and do something like offer her help, Hanako cuts in with her own, slightly louder thank you.
Happy with the decision, Ukyo leaves the room with a determination that can only be admired.
Despite her tiredness, Ema is so obviously happy with this new situation, and something soft curls within Hanako's chest at the sight of the spark in her sister's eyes, "We should let you rest, do you think you'll manage to sleep?"
If not, she has an arsenal of fairy tales, chamomile tea bags, and childhood plushies to help the girl.
If their dad was here, he'd tell her she needs to stop coddling Ema, that she's not a little girl anymore. Thing is, their dad is almost never here and so Hanako can do what the heck she wants.
"Oh, I'm feeling fine now Hana-nee," the teenage girl earns herself some hesitancy from the three Asahina brothers left, they are not used to Ema's habit of never taking care of herself, it's a habit the sisters share to a certain degree, but Hanako has the advantage of being older and thus always win arguments such as this.
Ema is smart enough to turn her gaze to Masaomi, and not to her sister, when she asks "Do you think Ukyo-san needs any help with the food-?"
"No," Hanako shakes her head, and Ema looks up at her sister with rare petulance as she argues, "But I-"
"No," she repeats, a defined brow raising slightly, "You stay and you rest, doctor's orders. Right, Masaomi-san?" the grin she sends him is all pearly-white teeth and hidden threats.
"Ri-right," the pediatrician agrees easily, trying to not laugh at the sudden turn of events.
Ema pouts then, acting like the adolescent she is for once and not like the mature, sensible woman the brothers have had the chance to interact with, "You don't play fair."
"I don't have to, I'm older," Hanako kisses her sister's still warm forehead, adjusting the covers around her like a cocoon, "Now you rest and finish that glass of water before I'm back with some food. Call me if you need anything."
Seeing as they are obviously interrupting a moment, the three Asahina brothers silently filter out of the room.
"I know, I know...thanks Hana-nee, I love you," Ema says, lids fluttering close as she rolls onto her side, making a small noise from the back of her throat. Hanako's eyes are soft as she turns off the lights, "I love you too, honey."
Once the door to Ema's room is closed, she turns on her heel to face the three brothers who had waited for her. She almost laughs at the sight they make, all lined up against the wall adjacent to the door of Ema's bedroom.
She does not, "Thank you, for taking care of her, it means a lot."
"Of course, that's what brothers are for," Masaomi repeats Kaname's words from earlier, watching as the girl's face lights up, yet somehow more closed off than when she was in Ema's company, where she was open and shameless in her affection for the girl.
Hanako lets them lead her to the elevator, humming lowly, "That's going to take some time to get used to, having brothers."
"Take all the time you need," Kaname says as they fit in the elevator, the four of time only slightly limited in their movements. Despite this, Kaname invades her personal space, wrapping an arm around her in an overly touchy move and leaning down to speak close to her ear, "Although imouto I've got to say you took us by surprise earlier with Yuu-chan, you're secretly a little terror aren't you?"
"I wasn't aware I was hiding it," she grins, humored by the monk laying it on thick with the charm - it's the rational thought that he is only kidding that stops her cheeks from flushing too much, despite his distracting proximity.
The easy, unbothered reaction has Kaname blinking a few times, a bit disappointed by her dismissal.
"Let her go now Kaname, you're bothering her," Masaomi sighs and the man does as asked by his eldest brother, hands in the air as a sign of his good faith.
The ding that accompanies the elevator's doors opening, is followed by a sudden onslaught of brothers jumping off the couch they were all resting on and circling them to ask about Ema's well-being, in various states of worry. It nearly knocks the air out of her lungs.
"How is she feeling?" Yuusuke, who had probably been informed of Ema's earlier dizzy spell, squawks as Tsubaki pushes him out of the way to ask his own onslaught of questions, all the while being held back by Azusa.
Hanako blinks very slowly, trying to piece things together, "She'll live?"
Her fingers instinctively come to thread into light salmon strands of hair when a new body attaches itself to her own, Wataru looks up at her with such panicked eyes at her way of phrasing things that she immediately softens her approach, "Ema's still tired," Kaname coughs, remembering how the younger girl had to be almost forced into her own bed to stay in place, "But she'll be just fine, her temperature's already coming down."
Louis' eyes form thin crescents as he watches Wataru refuse to let go of the girl, arms firmly wrapped around her hips as she's tugged into the resting room. Masaomi, if visibly exasperated by this, ultimately lets the boy be.
"If it's okay with your brothers," she smiles at Iori when the boy sits next to her, keeping at a safe distance from his buzzing littlest brother, "I was thinking of going up to eat with Ema later, do you want to ask Masaomi-san if you can come with us?"
With avid attention, the boy turns to Masaomi, "Can I Maa-kun?"
"Only for this time Wataru, and you have to be extra careful not to spill anything okay?" The boy nods with iron-clad conviction, childish features scrunched up, "I promise Maa-kun, I'll be super-duper careful!"
Once she is free to move, Wataru busy talking about some anime with the twins, making wild hand gestures as he speaks, Hanako gets up discreetly and heads for the kitchen, somehow escaping the little boy's attention
Iori observes this with an amused, crooked grin and a raised brow.
She playfully brushes a finger to her lips in a silent hushing motion, a bit taken aback by the open, less than perfect expression on the golden boy's features. She quite likes the way the corners of his mouth are uneven, how the metallic color of his eyes gleams.
It's perhaps the first hint he gives, that he's a boy made of flesh and blood, not the ice one would perhaps assume at first glance.
Feet coming to a halt just a breath short of the kitchen's door, she risks a glance inside where Ukyo is cooking with the efficiency and skill of someone who has done this for years. "Hey," she offers when he sees her, leaning on the threshold, "Do you need any help here?"
Ukyo shakes his head, lips tilting up fondly like Hanako had seen his mother do, one of the few times she had seen the woman in person, "We're not about to force cooking duties on you when you just got here, you and Ema should get settled in before concerning yourselves with chores."
"I'll think of it when you ask me to do some laundry or pass the broom, but I enjoy cooking. Besides in a house so full, you can't really be against a second pair of hands, if only to fetch you ingredients."
"I don't know..." then, when he sees the way the girl's arms cross over her chest and her lips purse sternly - a combination he distinctly remembers his mother using during his childhood, the few times she was around, he relents, "Alright, you're right, your help would be much appreciated."
The smile she gives him is brilliant. If there was one thing she loathed, right there along with insects and spicy food, it was to not be of any use. Mundane and tiresome as it was, housework had a way of making her feel good with herself, like she served a distinct purpose.
There's something frankly horrible in feeling useless, unnecessary.
"I'm almost done with the miso soup, maybe you could cut the vegetables and start the rice?" she nods, undoing the messy knot of hair that had been on her head to put it up once again, into a neater ponytail this time.
Cooking with Ukyo is enjoyable, more than she might have thought. The conversation is easy, and the age gap isn't as noticeable as it might have been when they talk of life in the residence, she even manages to find some mutual interests with the lawyer, like cooking and a book she had read last semester.
"By the way, our mother forgot to mention, are you still in high school like your sister?" the question gives her pause, and Ukyo whips around from where he's grilling the mackerel to look at her when she snorts.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude," she presses her lips together to hide her previously toothy grin, "I'm actually in my third year of university."
"Oh," the man blushes slightly, "Forgive me."
"Don't sweat it," she waves off, glad to see she'd finally finished cutting in tiny pieces all the vegetables that had been left on the counter, "With all of this, you'd think we're feeding an army."
She'd been pleasantly surprised earlier by Ukyo's sense of humor, despite his stern appearance, and the man doesn't disappoint, "Yuusuke and Subaru alone are the army, the rest of us are left with scraps if we don't hurry."
"Now that's a problem I've never had to face," Hanako laughs, "I sometimes need to physically drag Ema out of her room for her to prioritize food over her video games...are those small enough? It's how I usually dice them, but maybe you like them smaller?"
The man sends a glance to the neatly cut carrots, celery, and other veggies with a nod, "That's perfect, you can put them in the broth."
In a bit more than half an hour, the two have an indecently large meal laid on the table and the girl offers her palm to the lost second son. Amused, she carefully takes his wrist between her fingers so his palm hits hers in a weak high five, "We did a good job, this looks amazing."
"Ri-right... I heard you and Wataru would be eating in Ema's room?" Ukyo's voice does this thing where it raises to an impossibly high pitch for a second, before he clears his throat, and it goes back to the deep, mellow sound she is accustomed to.
Hanako nods, grabbing two filled plates and putting them aside, "I hope it's no problem, as far as first impressions go, I know we could've done better, but Ema needs some rest and I'm not sure that eating with everyone would be...ah, well..."
"Calm? Peaceful?" he offers, as the rest of the Asahina brothers begin to trickle in the dining room, "This smells fantastic Ukyo," Azusa congratulates, smiling at them both.
Hanako nods, failing to not look too pleased with the indirect compliment, "Something like that, thank you for the food," she then turns to the brothers who were gaining their seats, "I'll see you all later?"
"You can count on it, little sister!" Tsubaki says, winking at her as she leaves the room with two well-balanced plates in her hands.
"Careful," Subaru warns when she almost bumps into him on her way to the elevator a few steps away from the dining room, hands shooting out to stabilize her when she takes a step back too quickly, almost falling to the ground and worse, dropping the plates.
The tall boy looks down at her for a few seconds too long, adverting his gaze soon after, "Let me help you with that," he takes a plate off her hands and motions for her to enter the now-open elevator before him.
"Thank you," she smiles, holding her plate with both hands, "You're sweet."
Now he's the one to almost drop the plate in his hands, skin flushing a dark red color and she almost feels bad for embarrassing him this way. Subaru is probably the least social of his brothers so far, perhaps followed by Iori, "...Masa-nii already went up with Wataru to your sister's room."
Hanako doesn't tell him that Louis had already relayed the message a minute ago, "I'm glad," she says when he doesn't offer more, "You guys have all been very welcoming."
He doesn't answer, not meeting her gaze and she gives up starting a conversation, he's obviously not at ease and she doesn't particularly care to push him. Her heart goes out to the boy if anything, he doesn't seem all that used to being around girls his age, and with her mother's remarriage, he's forced to deal with it.
The move was sudden for everyone, the thought brings her a bit of guilt-ridden comfort, not just me.
"Oh, Hana-nee, Subaru-san, hi!" Ema greets as her sister cracks the door to her room open, sitting on the floor with her legs crossed next to Wataru who is in a similar position, probably to prevent any accident. The child cheers at their appearance, "Onee-san, you're here! Are you eating with us Suba-chan?"
The older boy's face practically turns green at the thought and Hanako cannot for the life of her hide her amusement, "Sorry Wataru, your brother was just helping me with the plates, I'm a bit clumsy you see, and your kind big brother took pity on me," she hands Ema a plate, Wataru having begun taken small bites of his own smaller size once she'd arrived.
Ema, baby-faced little traitor she is, agrees without any hesitation, "Hana-nee's the worst with eye-hand coordination."
"I can help you next time Onee-san!" the boy immediately offers and the young woman's heart almost fails at the sight of his wide, eager eyes that remind her of an excited puppy when its master comes home after a long day at work.
"Well now, if you do that it won't leave Subaru-san any chance to save me from the embarrassment of falling over my own feet next time!"
"Hm," Wataru thinks over her words very studiously and Ema giggles sweetly, the sound far cuter than anything that could ever come out of her sister, "That's true, I guess if it's for Suba-chan's sake..."
Hoping not to find the boy dead as she turns back towards where Subaru hadn't moved from outside Ema's room, Hanako smiles, "Thank you for the help, I'll see you later?"
"Ye-yeah," his voice is quiet as she ever so slowly closes the door once Subaru has turned around in the direction of the elevator, she then plops down on Ema's too soft rug, finally getting a taste of her and Ukyo's hard work, "Wow, Ukyo-san sure is a good cook."
"You're right, he's the best!" Wataru agrees, then adding, "Even if he doesn't make dessert too often."
Hanako hums, eyes crinkling with mirth at the childish answer, "You won't forget to thank him for the meal right?" Ema rolls her eyes at her sister's underhanded method, sipping on her soup.
"Of course, I won't!" Wataru says proudly, "Maa-kun always makes sure I thank him for the food."
"That's nice, Masaomi-san sure is responsible," Ema says, already fond of the little boy and his oldest brother, the two were simply too adorable to put into words, "You must care for him a whole lot Wataru-chan."
"Maa-kun's the best," the child doesn't waste a second in answering, like it's common knowledge : the sky is blue, the Earth spins around the sun, Maa-kun's the best.
"Ne, Onee-chan called you Hana-nee earlier, can I call you that too?" Hanako's eyes soften at the question, ruffling the boy's fluffy hair up like only older siblings know how to do, "Sure."
For a first lunch with their new family, there definitely could have been worse.
Once they're done, she carefully puts the bowls in a neat pile over the stacked plates, eyeing Ema and Wataru who are having an animated discussion over video games, "It's rather late, I think it's time we both got back downstairs and Ema over there got some sleep, right Wataru-chan?"
"Yes! Onee-chan needs to sleep and get better so we can play soon!"
"That's right," she nods very much serious, "Watch over her Juli, don't let her and Maho-chan text all night, and call me if you feel unwell," her little loyal soldier nods, and what seems like a rodent's screech is actually him telling her to be careful and to watch out for the dangerous predators.
"Wha! He's so cute, it's almost like he can understand you!" Wataru almost goes to try and grab Juli, which Ema advises against with a wince, bidding them goodbye after Hanako kisses her forehead one last time, "Sleep well Onee-chan!"
The walk to the fifth floor is filled with Wataru excitedly talking about some of his toys, "I'm so glad I have sisters now, it's awesome!" you would think that with so many siblings, he'd be sick of it already.
"I'm happy we're here too," and she truly is, surprisingly so, despite her initial nerves and reserves about moving in with so many strangers, "It's a nice change of scenery."
She tries to, quietly as possible, make her way in the dining room to reach the kitchen when she sees the twins reading lines of sorts to each other, probably for work - Wataru has no such reservations, "Where's Maa-kun and the others?"
"Oh, hey you two," the girl smiles nervously despite Azusa's warm greeting, embarrassed they had interrupted, "Masa-nii went to check in on Ema-chan and Yuusuke's doing the dishes, everyone else went to their room or the living room."
"I'll just go put this in the kitchen, we can go take a look in the dining room after," she says, "Sorry for disturbing you two."
"Man," Tsubaki drawls the word out, a playful smirk dancing on his lips as his cat-like gaze falls on her, "Our new little sister is so eager to get rid of us. It's breaking my heart."
Despite the fact that he is obviously teasing her, Hanako feels the need to explain herself, "That's not...I mean, you guys look like you were busy, I didn't want to keep you from your work."
"Oh, this little thing? We were just reading it over quickly, the actual practice won't be until tomorrow, Tsubaki says, carelessly waving around the rather thick manuscript in his hands.
Still, her lips purse, "I'll go put those away," she says, tilting her chin up in the direction of the plates in her hands and she enters the kitchen, her hip bumping into the kitchen aisle when she doesn't pay attention to where she's going, "Ouch."
Yuusuke, who had been scraping off food off a plate and into the trash, startles at the sound, "Yo," he mutters so quietly she wouldn't have heard him had the room not been silent.
"Hi," she winces then when noticing the high pile of plates Yuusuke is cleaning, even with the dishwasher on, the sound of rushing water reaching her ears, "With so many of you, doing dishes must be hell- need a hand?"
The boy briefly sends her a glance, "That's why Kyo-nii usually makes me or Tsubaki do it, or whenever someone's being punished," the answer has her brow quirking up in amusement as she carefully puts the dishes on the counter when she fears something might break if she adds it to the pile, "And you don't have to, you already helped make dinner after all - it was delicious by the way."
"Thank you," she wonders why it is that he is speaking to her so normally now, while earlier he had been such a mess, "Ukyo did most of the job though."
She leans on the counter, observing the beads braided in his hair. Yuusuke clears his throat when he catches her looking at him curiously, "So, Hinata, uhm Ema I mean, she's really okay?"
Now there she goes, feeling sorry for how rough she had been with the boy earlier.
He's just shy, Masaomi had said, and it's becoming quite clear that is the truth, especially when it comes to Ema. Hanako's pinkish eyes soften, "She is, she's hopefully asleep by now and should be up on her feet tomorrow. There's no stopping that girl, she's as stubborn as a mule."
"She doesn't look like it, she's always so sweet and gentle with everyone," Yuusuke says, as if forgetting who's he speaking to, "Argh, sorry."
"You don't have to be," she starts drying what he lays on the dish drainer, she might as well - it would be bad form to just strike a conversation with him without lifting a finger to help, "It's nice of you to notice, and she is really, she's just really bad at taking care of herself, or letting me be right. She'll argue 'till the end of time if it means proving me wrong."
Basically, Ema's stubborn streak is something only a select few ever see - it's a weird thing to cherish, but Hanako does, immensely so.
Yuusuke laughs, slowly relaxing, and Hanako continues, she might as well get some insight on her sister, since she can't always be with Ema, despite her best efforts, "She's much more reserved at school I think, she doesn't ever bring anyone home besides Maho-chan so I wouldn't know."
Imai Mahoko, Ema's spunky best friend, who insisted on being called by her preferred nickname.
"Definitely, I've never seen her speak so much before today when she was with you," Yuusuke seems quite happy with that fact, and the young women cannot help but think it's a shame that Ema and he never got to talking - they would be quick friends, she's sure of it.
"Hey, can I ask you a favor?" the boy to her left briefly stops his actions to look at her, slowly handing her a plate with a hesitant nod of his head, "Watch out for Ema at school, even if you don't want to be around her too much or something - and I'm not accusing you of anything, I understand, you don't want people saying stupid things because you now live together right?"
When the boy nods, Hanako sighs with a small twitch of her lips, "I thought so, and I'm not saying you have to be besties with my sister, but I'd really appreciate it if you would just tell me if anything happens at school and you hear about it. Ema hates telling me what's wrong, she thinks she's bothering me and I'm stuck killing myself with worry because I learned from Maho-chan that some girls dunked her shoes in water and ripped her homework and-" she lets out a breath, "Sorry, I'm rambling."
Yuusuke's face is scrunched up in fury when she looks up, "When did that happen?"
"Back in middle school," she waves her hand in the air to appease the boy, "Don't worry, it's been long solved, let's just say the petty bullying stopped when I went to go get Ema and Maho-chan from school with dad's car and my foot slipped on the gas when I was leaving the school's parking lot."
"You ran them over?!" Hanako whips her head around, offended.
"What? No! I stopped at least a meter away from them, and it was just to give them a bit of a fright," she defends, surprised when the boy erupts into loud, unashamed laughter, "Okay, maybe it sounds bad when I put it like that, but they just so happened to be there, and I couldn't resist!"
Ema had been horrified, Maho-chan delighted, and there were no more incidents like what had happened to Ema's shoes.
Yuusuke does not stop cackling for several minutes, the twins and Wataru who were still in the next room wondering what the hell that was all about. "Oh come on!" she pouts, "It's not that funny!"
"It really is," Yuusuke says, finally calming down, "This is brilliant, but yeah, you can count on me to watch out for her," what he doesn't say is that he would have even if Hanako didn't ask, Ema Hinata was pretty much the girl of his dreams after all.
But he had better keep that for himself.